High-powered light emitting diodes are increasingly replacing other light technologies, including incandescent and fluorescent lamps, for general illumination purposes. Such high-powered light emitting diodes accept currents in excess of 100 milliamps and typically at least one ampere to provide a light output for illumination of a space or area, for example, in an appliance such as a refrigerator or the like.
High-powered light emitting diodes normally require a heat sink to prevent destructive overheating. For this purpose, the light emitting diode will be placed on a carrier such as a printed circuit board holding conductive traces to connect the light emitting diode to other circuitry or power leads. The substrate may be attached to a heat sink, for example, of molded or extruded aluminum to conduct heat generated by the light emitting diode away from the diode into ambient air or other medium.